Falling for fancy means wanting things to be a certain way before you can take the next step.

Let us see how it plays in real life.

You want to start on your own but you do not because you are scared of not looking like a real entrepreneur without a fancy office, flashy tools and employees.

You want to start a blog but do not start thinking about the perfect idea that you will start with. At times you want to start your blog with a certain design.

You want to go for a new job but you do not apply for one (even if it is the dream job you thought of and you have the desired skill set) thinking of getting some more experience under the belt; and scared that you may be rejected.

(When) it hurts to be fancy

The problem with Fancy First approach is that delays action. At times you may not begin at all if your thoughts are powered by this approach.

From a business perspective; it helps if you do not fall for fancy even after tasting some success. Do not go for a costly update to your website if it does not help you win more business. Look at what function it serves; if the desired function is being served why bother changing it? At times going for a simple tweak like adding an email newsletter makes more sense than going for an overhaul. No point buying a new laptop if you can work with the old one.

You got the point, right.

The key is not to be “penny wise pound foolish” but to be judicious and fast on your feet. Spend where it is needed and avoid when it is not required.

How to do it right? SOLID FIRST. FANCY LATER.

Build a solid core first.

In business, from day one or even before you launch, focus on getting your 1st paid client. If that looks impossible then find some initial non-paying clients who can endorse your work in public. Your website can wait, so can your email on your own domain.

If you can’t get a branded email just start with a Gmail account. Start with a blog if not having a website is delaying your launch.

If you want to pitch for investment; do not spend a week or a month preparing a fancy presentation; instead spend this time building a prototype or getting your first paying customer. In case of software find some beta users. See if your potential investors are ready to test your software. For Slideshare and many others some of their early investors were also their earlier users. Reading, learning and preparation makes sense; but action is what matters the most.

If you think and get into action mode; you will not find time to think about office space or employees as something that stands in the way of you starting up. Most of the times these are excuses people give themselves to avoid the risk of starting up.

Even when you need a resource to help you build your start up, you may meet once a week in a local cafe. WordPress, the blogging platform that powers this blog has almost all of its employees working virtually. Have you heard of PlentyofFish.com? It is among the world leaders in online dating. It was run by the founder from his apartment till recently.

Similarly do not wait for the perfect gear before you can hit the running trail.

Same is true of writers and creative professionals. Believe me you do not need a Mac or a new laptop to start writing. Writing regularly makes you a better writer not writing on a fancy machine.

So writers, go write. Entrepreneurs start something later you will have time and resources to build team and tools around it.